Thunderball

Peter McGinn 6/23/2021 3:58:43 PM 8.4

It can be difficult and not very useful to compare the early James Bond movies to the later ones. The female characters become more than merely ornamental and more interesting, the plots become more intricate, the villains less stereotypical, and the special effects better and better. Having said all that, I must confess I give Thunderball a pass on any such criticism or comparison, for a rather odd and personal reason, and not just because I like Sean Connery! As a teenager I sort of inherited the soundtrack album for Thunderball, either from my dad or an older brother. That was well before I ever saw the movie. Except for the Tom Jones title song, the album is all instrumental, and I found myself playing the album while doing school work, or reading, or writing short stories and later on, novels. I am surprised I didn't wear the grooves out. Later my taste moved towards instrumental new age and finally on to ambient music. Where was I? Oh yeah, so when I finally watched Thunderball, I recognized the background music whenever it came into play. So I liked this film in a way I never quite experienced with other James Bond films. I admit I don’t know that this helps prospective viewers, so I will add that if the newer Bond films seem to glossy and too much like each other for your taste, Thunderball is a slightly different animal, so you might enjoy it. And did I mention it includes a Sean Connery?

GenerationofSwine 1/11/2023 11:21:48 PM 8.4

This is certainly the last of the classic 007 films. This is the last time we see 007 as the cold hearted assassin that he is. The last time we see a Bond that, the only reason he's really a good guy is because of what side he is on and not what he is. In later films they call him a blunt instrument, but in this film he actually still is. He's still the trigger man. He still has no respect for human life and is only really concerned about the mission. After this we enter the era of Silly 007, with a layover for Lazenby who walked the line and ended up more Cannery than Moore. And as where the Silly Bonds do still have their appeal (and trust me, I still love them) the franchise never seemed as lethal or as cool again. But, rest assured, this is also the 007 where Special Effects and over-the-top stunts made their introduction and would later become a much loved 007 trope. So it stands as a bridge between classic and contemporary 007, and as much as I love them both, I like the classic 007 just a little more.

drystyx 4/4/2023 2:36:46 AM 8.4

This is the hay day of Bond. We get it all. Stunning women, great gadgets, non stop action, wit, and the exotic scenery that make 007 films so iconic. We also get the two greatest evil henchmen deaths in 007 film History, and may in film History. The boardroom assassination sticks out, because we know which of the two men is the embezzler by his demeanor. Innocent men have no idea how to prove their innocence, and so they sweat. It is the guilty man who thinks he has his tracks covered. The other henchman death is little fish "Quist", in a scene brutal and brilliant. The underwater battle scene still remains to this day as the most action packed and best directed underwater action scene in Film History. There is so much else going for this film that it would take ten pages to explain. Suffice to say it is a top five 007 film. I rank it about with Goldfinger. Goldfinger has more charm, while Thunderball has more excitement.and action.I usually rank Goldfinger 4th and this one 3rd, but I go back and forth on that.